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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Astronaut Steve Hawley leaving NASA

Five-time shuttle flier and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee Steven Hawley (STS-41D, STS-61C, STS-31, STS-82, STS-93) will announce his retirement from NASA on Wednesday, Feb. 27 and his appointment to the faculty at the University of Kansas.

Hawley currently serves as director of the astromaterials research and exploration science directorate at Johnson Space Center.

The visit is one of four stops scheduled. Additional appearances include the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, the Statehouse in Topeka and the University of Kansas' Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence.

University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway announced today that Hawley, a Salina native and 1973 KU graduate in physics and astronomy, will join the university faculty this fall to teach and to promote education in science and math.

Hemenway and Hawley, one of three astronauts from Kansas, are making the announcement in a series of press events today at Salina Central High School, from which Hawley graduated in 1969; the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson; the Statehouse in Topeka; and the Dole Institute of Politics on KU's Lawrence campus.

"Steve Hawley has always been generous in sharing his experiences and observations with our students and faculty over the years, so we are thrilled and gratified that he will now be doing that on a full-time basis here at KU," Hemenway said. "He will enhance an already incredibly strong physics and astronomy program, as well as be able to travel Kansas so young people statewide can be inspired and encouraged to pursue careers in science."

In Kansas, the number of teacher licenses in chemistry, biology and physics have plummeted, Hemenway noted, and many schools in the state will recruit overseas to fill more than 400 secondary teaching positions in science and mathematics this year.

"Science education is vital to the future of this state and nation," Hemenway said. "We need people like Steve to build a new excitement and urgency about science and math education."

Hawley, 56, said his new role at KU fulfills a longtime desire to return to Kansas, adding that the mission of promoting interest in science is a perfect fit.

"In my career, I have literally had the chance to see the world," Hawley said. "But today there is no place else I would rather be. It is good to be home. Working with students at KU and across Kansas is a wonderful opportunity to share what I have seen and encourage them to set high goals and go out and discover what this world has to offer."

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected Hawley to be an astronaut in 1978. He became the third Kansan — all of whom are KU graduates — to fly in space. His first shuttle experience, in 1984, was the maiden flight of the shuttle Discovery and involved numerous experiments and deployment of several satellites. He was a mission specialist on shuttle flights in 1986, 1990, 1997 and 1999.

During his 1990 flight aboard Discovery, the crew deployed the Hubble Space Telescope, and he returned to Hubble on the second servicing mission in 1997. During his 1999 flight, the crew deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory — the third of NASA's space observatories. He has logged more than 32 days in space.

From 2001 to 2002, Hawley was director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is now director of astromaterials research and exploration science at NASA. In that role, Hawley oversees research in planetary and space science and is responsible for NASA's collection of astromaterials, including the moon rocks, comet dust, Martian meteorites and solar wind particles.

Hawley has received numerous honors, including Kansan of the Year in 1992; Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame induction in 1997; KU's Distinguished Service Citation in 1998; and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1998 and 2000. He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of KU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2007.

KU has a rich history in astronomy, starting with alumnus Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto on Feb. 18, 1930, and is the namesake of the campus observatory.

Other Kansas astronauts were Ron Evans, a St. Francis native who grew up in Topeka, and Joe Engle, a Chapman native. They earned aeronautical engineering degrees at KU in 1955 and 1956, respectively. Evans piloted the Apollo 17 command module that orbited the moon. Engle piloted the space shuttle Columbia in two approach and landing tests in 1977 and commanded two shuttle missions, including Columbia's second flight into space in 1981. Evans died in 1990.

KU's Department of Physics and Astronomy has 25 faculty members and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Faculty research draws $3.7 million a year in external funding for studies in large scale (solar system, galaxy and universe by the astronomy, cosmology and space physics groups); small scale (nuclear, high energy and astro-particle physics groups); and bulk matter physics (condensed matter and biophysics groups). Strong interdisciplinary programs exist in biophysics, nano-bio science, accelerator physics and astrobiology.

Steve will be missed. I got to meet him after his first flight aboard the maiden Discovery mission (41-D). Quite a person. Heard one astronaut say that Steve was about the only astronaut who's brain could out think the five computers on the shuttle. Guess that's why he was the flight engineer for four out of his five flights.

mjanovec

quote:Originally posted by PowerCat:Heard one astronaut say that Steve was about the only astronaut who's brain could outthink the five computers on the shuttle.

I think Mike Mullane has said something similar to this, implying that if Steve was on your flight you had a sixth computer on board. He also mentioned that Hawley was bad luck for a crew, meaning that numerous launch scrubs would take place.

Mullane said, in Riding Rockets, that in the seconds after the 41-D pad abort, Hawley joked "I thought we'd be higher when the engines shut down." I can't help but think of that whenever I read about Hawley.

Best wishes to the Attack Astronomer for his new career!

ASCAN1984

Excluding Mike Coats was Steve Hawley the last of the 1978 TFNG class still in the astronaut office?

Robert Pearlman

quote:Originally posted by ASCAN1984:Excluding Mike Coats was Steve Hawley the last of the 1978 TFNG class still in the astronaut office?

Neither Hawley or Coats are still in the astronaut office. Both retired from the corps before taking their current positions with NASA.

That said, Anna Fisher and Shannon Lucid are still active in the astronaut office.

Tom

He is however, the last of the "TFNG" to fly.

MrSpace86

According to the Salina Journal, Hawley is scheduled to appear with the university's chancellor Robert Hemenway Wednesday at Salina Central High School to make the announcement.

I just got back from the event. I attend the University of Kansas and was super excited when the news came to me yesterday.

While there was a lot of people there, about 90% of them were aerospace engineering professors and students while the other 10% were physics and astronomy professors and students. All the aero students that attended were really excited about the news while the friend I took with me (who is in physics and astronomy) had no idea who he was. I graduate in December so I might take some time off aerospace and try to take one of his courses.

I met him back in 2002 when I was still in high school and he was super nice and he still is. He stood there and talked to everyone that approached him, posed for pics, signed items (he signed my flown STS-82 piece), and was overall wonderful. Great addition to the KU family.

I have to add that if you haven't read it, Col. Mullane thought very highly of Hawley and the book contains a number of great anecdotes about him. He credits Hawley, more than any other colleague, for changing his view of the civilian post-doc TFNG's from disdain to respect.

Robert Pearlman

Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) today (Sept. 20) announced the members of his 2011 Kansas Service Academy Selection Board, including former astronaut Steve Hawley.

The 20-member board will review applications and interview candidates who are applying for admission to U.S. Service Academies. These include the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

HistorianMom

Just received this e-mail, and as far as I am concerned, it can only mean good news for the Cosmosphere!

"All Systems Go" For Former Astronaut to Join Cosmosphere Team

We are pleased to announce that Steven A. Hawley, Ph.D., — a former NASA space shuttle Astronaut and current Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kansas — has agreed to come on board as an advisor to the Cosmosphere's leadership team and the Governing Board of Directors. He will support the Cosmosphere's mission to preserve the history and inspire the future of space exploration and he will advocate for the organization's invaluable role in inspiring people to continually reach for the stars.

"The Cosmosphere shares the story of spaceflight in a way that no other museum does," Hawley said. "I'm proud to have such a unique facility in my home state, and I look forward to working closely with the Cosmosphere to increase awareness of this tremendous asset for Kansas and the nation. It is my belief the Cosmosphere can provide the spark that inspires our next generation of leaders and visionaries who will do the difficult and pioneering things that make a nation great."

The Cosmosphere has many treasured artifacts on display from Hawley's time with NASA, including a window from the space shuttle Columbia, and a mission time clock that was part of several missions, including STS-31 and STS-41D.

Hawley is a Kansas native, and was selected as a NASA astronaut in January 1978. He logged more than 770 hours in five space shuttle flights and served as a mission specialist on STS-41D in 1984, the maiden flight of the space shuttle Discovery. On STS-31 in 1990, he was part of the crew that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.

We're very excited to have such an amazing pioneer and explorer on our team. His guidance and enthusiasm for our mission with be an invaluable source of inspiration and motivation to our boards and our patrons. After all, he didn't just reach for the stars, he flew among them.